The present disclosure pertains to an adjusting device for beds, mattresses, armchairs and the like, consisting of support elements or bar members extending at an angle to the adjusting direction and at least one drive device for modifying the inclination of the support plane, in which at least one pivotable raising lever is provided, or in which the bar members form a link chain. It additionally pertains to an adjustable support device for mattresses or cushions, beds, armchairs and the like consisting of pivotable bars with support elements extending between the bars, spanning a support plane.
Such adjusting devices are known, for instance, for holding mattresses of beds. A frame, or at least lateral bars, carries the support elements, which span the support plane of the mattress or the like. In addition to cloth supports, metal grids and the like, spring strips that form a so-called slat grating are especially often used. The adjusting device is intended to provide comfort and relaxation in the supine, seated or semi-supine position.
Using a motor-driven or manually pivotable raising lever is known, for instance, for modifying the inclination of hospital beds. As a rule, these levers are rigid. Most of these raising levers have the disadvantage that they are visible in the sitting or semi-supine position and are therefore visually disruptive. Safety risks also exist. Moreover, it is only possible with these levers to pivot two areas (head part and foot part), each straight within itself, about a center part. Whereas it is not possible to influence the shape of the lateral bars defining the support plane, i.e., to adapt them more to the back and posterior of a human being.
As an alternative solution, it has therefore been proposed to design the lateral bars as a link chain and pivot the links relative to one another. Such pivoting takes place by means of pressure or preferably by means of tension belts or pull rods. Such an adjusting device is extraordinarily complex, however, and consists of very many individual parts if one would like to achieve a semi-supine or sitting position starting from the extended supine position. This becomes particularly clear from WO 01/26509 A1. Such adjusting devices do indeed permit a very elegant external appearance of the finished product, because supporting, adjusting and drive elements are completely integrated into the bars or into a mattress or upholstery. However, in addition to the complex construction, it is disadvantageous in that the successive or simultaneous relative pivoting of various bar members can only be controlled relatively imprecisely. But it is desirable for the adjusting device to be able to assure an optimal support of the back, the posterior and, optionally, the legs in the various positions between the extended resting or supine position and the very upright sitting position, i.e., above all, to support the spinal column.
With this background, there is a need for an adjusting device of particularly simple construction. An additional objective is to design the mechanical structure of such an adjusting device robustly and nevertheless to permit an ergonomic multi-element adjustment. An additional need is to design the adjusting device robustly and yet elegantly, i.e., without externally projecting or protruding head part or back rests. Increased safety is also desirable. Finally, it would be desirable to specify exactly and decisively the mutual displacement of bar members in every general inclination between a supine and a sitting position of the user.
Since the forces weighing on the free foot end in case of a raised foot part are considerable, a foot part brace usually serves to intercept and direct these forces to a fixed substructure such as a bed frame. Such foot braces are generally simple connecting rods, pivotably seated at one end on the slat grating and on the support component, such as the bed frame, at the other. This arrangement for hospital beds, for example, makes the implementation of an elegant and inconspicuous design difficult and makes an exact match necessary between, for instance, the slat grating and a bed frame. It also hinders manually pivoting the foot part, which is unfavorable for practical use. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple and inconspicuous foot support for devices of this class that is uncomplicated to handle.